Maria Sharapova vs Mirjana Lucic-Baroni Madrid 2017 Preview
She may be a divisive figure on the WTA Tour but there is no doubt that Maria Sharapova has given it a much needed boost coming…
She may be a divisive figure on the WTA Tour but there is no doubt that Maria Sharapova has given it a much needed boost coming…
Eighteen-time major winner Roger Federer will sit out the French Open and the rest of the clay-court season.
The 35-year-old, fifth in the world rankings, says he made the decision in an attempt to continue playing on the ATP Tour “for many years to come”.
The Swiss added he will now prepare for the grass and hard-court seasons, which begin in June.
“I need to recognise that scheduling will be the key to my longevity,” he said.
“Thus, my team and I concluded that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season.
“I will miss the French fans, who have always been so supportive and I look forward to seeing them at Roland Garros next year.”
Federer missed last year’s French Open through injury – the first time he did not compete in Paris since his debut in 1999.
He won the tournament for the only time in 2009 and is a four-time runner-up.
Federer has won three titles so far this season, including the Australian Open – his first Grand Slam success in five years.
He also claimed the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March and, two weeks later, won the Miami Open.
The French Open begins on 28 May.
Former Olympic champion Marc Rosset backed his compatriot, saying it was a matter of Federer prioritising tournaments he can win.
“The chances of him winning on clay at the French Open were quite low,” Rosset told the BBC’s World Service.
“Roger is the kind of guy who goes to a tournament to win. If he doesn’t feel he is capable of winning the tournament, I don’t see any sense in him attending.
“I don’t think it is a matter of age, it is one of priority. He is going to play the two tournaments on grass before Wimbledon.”
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Federer was in such devastating form in the first three months of the year that an eighth Wimbledon title seems very much within his grasp. Trying to win a clay-court Grand Slam at the age of nearly 36 without playing any other tournament to prepare would surely have been beyond even him, and I say that with memories of Australia still very vivid.
Federer is talking like a man who would still love to be competing at 40, and to do so the clay-court season may need to become a permanent casualty.
I suspect he will want to play Roland Garros at least once more before he is done, and he says he looks forward to returning next year.
But he did say exactly the same thing 12 months ago when making a very late withdrawal because of concerns about his back.
Former World No. 10 Juan Monaco, a winner of nine ATP World Tour titles, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Monday.
“Although it creates me a lot of nostalgia, I am sure I am making the right decision,” said Monaco, in a statement on his social media. “One wonderful and very important part of my life has come to the end. I retire from professional tennis.”
The 33-year-old Argentinean, who reached a career-high No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 23 July 2012, added, “There are so many feelings that it is very difficult to write them down on a piece of paper. [There is] pride to have faced so many challenges over many years. Thanks for what tennis gave me: education, discipline, friendship and unforgettable moments. [There is] sadness, because I will really miss the tennis courts [and] happiness to have had the chance to work in what I really loved since I was a kid.
“Knowing that dedication, sacrifice, tenacity and compromise have always been my engine, I leave with the satisfaction that I gave all I had and I want to let you know that I enjoyed until my last match.”
Monaco won eight of his nine titles on clay, including four trophies in 2012. The Tandil native also lifted three doubles titles, most recently with his good friend Rafael Nadal (2015 Doha).
“Thanks to all of you for joining me on this wonderful trip, which lasted 14 years,” said Monaco.
Britons Kyle Edmund and Aljaz Bedene both made it through to the second round of the Italian Open in Rome with victories on Monday.
Edmund, 22, impressed on his debut at the Foro Italico with a 6-3 6-4 win over Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Qualifier Bedene, 27, was leading 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 3-0 when Italy’s Gianluca Mager retired with an injury.
Defending champion Andy Murray will face Italy’s Fabio Fognini in his opening match on Tuesday.
Edmund, ranked 53rd in the world, remained ahead in the battle to be British number two thanks to his victory over Sousa.
The Yorkshireman’s big forehand was backed up by fine serving as he broke once in each set to see off the world number 51.
He will next face Juan Martin del Potro or Grigor Dimitrov.
Bedene, the world number 55, continued his fine form on the clay, following up his two qualifying wins to set up a second-round match with number two seed Novak Djokovic.
Murray faces a tough test in his opening match as he looks to find some form before the French Open later this month.
“Fognini is one of the better clay-court players,” said the world number one.
“He obviously will be highly motivated playing in Italy as well.
“I have had some tough matches with him in the past, so it won’t be easy. I will definitely need to play well in that one to have a chance of winning.”
Murray turned 30 on Monday but is optimistic he can overcome his struggles with form and fitness this year and continue to challenge for the major titles.
“You never know how your body’s going to be and your health,” said the Scot.
“If that’s fine, there is no reason why you can’t compete at the top of the game into your early to mid-30s.”
Former World No. 4 advances to round two
Tomas Berdych moved to within one match win of 600 victories on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Berdych, the No. 12 seed and 2013 semi-finalist, triumphed 7-6(7), 6-4 over Mischa Zverev in one hour and 49 minutes. The Czech could not convert four set points on Zverev’s serve when leading 5-4, and he then saved two set points at 4/6 in the tie-break.
Berdych, who has the same number of career victories (599) as his coach Goran Ivanisevic, goes on to meet Robin Haase or qualifier Carlos Berlocq in the second round. Should Berdych win he would become the 25th player in ATP World Tour history to hit the 600 match wins milestone.
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Maria Sharapova secured a place in Wimbledon qualifying – at the very least – with a first-round win over Christina McHale at the Italian Open.
The 30-year-old Russian is ranked 211 in the world and was given a wildcard in Rome as she continues her return from a 15-month drugs ban.
Monday’s 6-4 6-2 win ensures Sharapova will move inside the top 200 and earn a Wimbledon qualifying place next month.
She will qualify for Wimbledon’s main draw if she reaches the Rome semis.
Sharapova will learn on Tuesday whether she has been given a wildcard into either qualifying or the main draw at the French Open, which gets under way on 28 May.
The five-time Grand Slam champion reached the semi-finals on her return to action in Stuttgart last month, but lost to Eugenie Bouchard in the second round in Madrid last week.
She made a slow start against American McHale, ranked 58th, at the Foro Italico, dropping serve three times before edging through the first set and dominating the second.
Sharapova will play Croatian 16th seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in round two, with world number one Angelique Kerber a potential third-round opponent.
Wimbledon’s qualifying tournament is played over three rounds and takes place from 26 to 29 June at the Bank of England Sports Grounds in Roehampton.
It has previously been an unticketed event but this year there will be 1,000 tickets for sale at £5 each, with proceeds going to the Wimbledon Foundation, along with video coverage of one court.
It’s often the case that the early rounds of a Masters 1000 tournament leave a lot to be desired in terms of showcase…
Watch some of the best moments of Sir Andy Murray’s career as the world number one turns 30.
In honour of Andy Murray’s 30th birthday, the ATP World Tour is celebrating by reliving the 30 facts, moments or memories that have made the Brit’s tennis career so spectacular.
30 (or older) – The age of five players in the current Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings
29 – The age when he became the second-oldest World No. 1 (behind Newcombe, 30) in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings on 7 November 2016
28 – The number of consecutive matches he won (24 in 2016, 4 in 2017), a career-best
27 – The number of matches he played at the ATP Finals, where he won his first title in 2016 (d. Djokovic)
26th player to become World No. 1 in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since 23 August 1973)
25 – The age when he captured his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 US Open (d. Djokovic)
24 – The number of sets he won in a row, a career-high, in 2016, from the Davis Cup semi-finals, Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna
23-9 – His record in fifth sets (won a career-best six in a row from 2015 US Open to 2016 Wimbledon)
22 – The number of match wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Shanghai, where he’s won three titles (2010-11, 2016)
21 – The number of Masters 1000 finals he has reached (14-7 record)
20 – The number of consecutive home Davis Cup match wins (20-0) before his first loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the 2016 semi-final
19 – His age when he first broke into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on 16 April 2007
18 – The number of consecutive times he reached a Grand Slam quarter-final (or better), a career-best, from 2011 Australian Open to 2015 Wimbledon
17 – His first year-end Top 20 Emirates ATP Ranking finish in 2006
16 – The number of match wins at the ATP Finals between 2008-16 (withdrew in 2013)
15 – His age when he was first based in Barcelona for training (from 15-17)
14 – The number of Masters 1000 titles to his name
13 – His Emirates ATP Ranking in 2007 San Jose, where he successfully defended his first ATP World Tour title (d. Karlovic)
12 – The number of consecutive years he has with at least one ATP World Tour title (2006-2017)
11 – The amount of career wins he has vs. Novak Djokovic (11-25) and Roger Federer (11-14), the most against his Big Four rivals
10th man in Open Era to reach all 4 Grand Slam singles finals
9 – The number of titles he won in 2016, a career-high, and the number of year-end Top 10 finishes in Emirates ATP Rankings from 2008-2016
8 – The amount of grass-court titles to his name (5 at Queen’s Club/London, 2 at Wimbledon, 1 at the 2012 Olympics)
7 – The number of consecutive finals he reached was a career-best in 2016 (from Madrid in May to Cincinnati in August)
6 – The number of consecutive Top 10 wins, a career-high, from 2016 ATP Finals (5-0) to 2017 Doha semi-finals
5 – The number of London/Queen’s Club titles to his name, the most of any tournament he’s won in his career
4 – His Emirates ATP Ranking of his first year-end Top 10 finish in 2008 (also No. 4 in 2009-11, 2013)
3 – His Grand Slam titles (2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, 2016 Wimbledon)
2 – The number of ATP World Tour doubles titles he owns, both with older brother Jamie (2010 Valencia, 2011 Tokyo) and Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016
1st career ATP World Tour title came in San Jose in February 2006 (d. Hewitt, saving two match points)
Wish Murray a happy birthday on MyATP now!
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for Monday’s opening rounds at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia & vote for who you think will win!
Del Potro v Dimitrov | Berdych v Zverev | Goffin v Bellucci | Pouille v Querrey
View Rome Daily Schedule
One year ago in Rome, Lucas Pouille became just the second lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final since the series started in 1990. Pouille returns to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Monday as the No. 11 seed after reaching a career-high No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on May 8. The Budapest champion Pouille meets Acapulco champion Sam Querrey.
Pouille is one of nine men in first-round action on Monday who have reached the quarter-finals or semi-finals in Rome, including all six Center Court players. No. 12 seed Tomas Berdych, a 2013 semi-finalist, meets 2009 quarter-finalist Mischa Zverev. If he beats Zverev, Berdych will tie his coach Goran Ivanisevic with 599 victories. Only 24 players have earned 600 or more victories.
Also on Center Court, No. 10 seed and 2014 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov meets 2009 quarter-finalist Juan Martin del Potro. Returning to Rome for the first time since 2013, del Potro is playing just his second match on clay and 12th match overall of 2017 after encountering difficult draws during the hard-court season. All four of his losses this year have come to Top 6 opponents.
